We have written to all tenants to advise about the rent increase that will take place from April 2020. This information has been included with the notification letter and aims to answer questions that you might have. If you are concerned about the change or need any extra information please email income@gch.co.uk or get in touch with our Tenancy Sustainment Team.
How much are you increasing my rent and how have you calculated this? All rents will increase by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) +1%. The rent increase of 2.7% will apply from 6th April 2020.
Why are you increasing my rent? We understand that any increase to your rent will not be good news. However, government legislation has changed and from April 2020 we are allowed to increase tenants rent by the Consumer Price Index (1.7%) +1%.
We have given the rent increase a lot of thought and discussed the issue with our board and Tenant Panel at length. We believe that in order to deliver our commitments to tenants, including investment in your homes, we need to maximise the money we receive from rents and apply the increase of 2.7%.
Do you have to increase my rent? No however if we don’t increase your rent in line with the government legislation there would be a negative impact on the services we currently deliver. Increasing rents will mean we can deliver our promises to you to continue investing in your homes and communities.
Do the same increases apply to service charges? Service charges may increase but the same formula does not apply. Our policy states that we will set charges appropriately to cover the cost of providing services to you with no hidden charges. If you pay a service charge, the breakdown of costs will be included in your rent increase notification letter so you can understand what the payments cover.
What will you spend the additional rental income on? The additional money we will raise from rents will allow us to continue the services we currently provide and to continue investing in your homes and communities. Most importantly the increase means that we won’t have to cut services to you, which is what we had to do when the government reduced rents four years ago.
What can I do if I can’t afford the increase? Our priority is to support tenants to sustain their tenancies and we want to help prevent rent arrears occurring as much as you do. We have a dedicated Tenancy Sustainment Team working alongside our Income Team, who are trained to ensure you have maximised your benefits, help you budget to manage your finances and support you through changes in circumstances. Please take advantage of this service now to help you prepare well ahead of the rent increase. Call 01452 833217 or email tenancy.sustainment@gch.co.uk
Can I have a breakdown of how you will spend my rent? We commit to providing a full breakdown of how we will spend your rent over the next 12 months. We will do this in our annual report to tenants and we regularly share our performance.
The graph below shows how we spent each pound of your rent in 2018/2019:
I claim Universal Credit, will I have to re-apply and will this result in delays of my rent being paid and accumulating rent arrears?
Please be assured you do not need to complete a brand new Universal Credit claim with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). You will need to advise the DWP of your new rent amount via the ‘To Do’ list in your DWP Journal, on or after the 6th April 2020.
If the DWP do not increase your housing costs to cover your new rent cost, please contact us and make an appointment to see one of our specialist Tenancy Sustainment Advisors who can help you budget.
I don’t claim benefits, do I have to adjust my Direct Debit mandate with my bank?
Your Direct Debit will be adjusted automatically in time for the change – you don’t have to do anything. If your Direct Debit is changed we will write to you to confirm the change.
Where can I get debt and budgeting advice from?
We have a dedicated Tenancy Sustainment Team working alongside the Income team who are trained to ensure you have maximised your benefits, help you manage your finances and support you through changes in circumstances. We encourage you to take advantage of this service. Call 01452 833217 or email tenancy.sustainment@gch.co.uk Alternatively, advice and support is available from the local Citizens Advice Bureau or charities such as Step Change and National Debtline.